The Bond That Breaks
by starrose2012
Summary: *EDIT I changed it because it seemed better* Erol & Jak are about to realize that there is more to this world when a mysterious Eco begins begins affecting Haven City. Will they be able to stop it? Or is it already to late? And just who is this Jun?
1. Ch 1 Something Wicked

**Chapter 1: Something Wicked...**

The real thing that bothered Erol was that they had warned the people countless times that nothing good would come from public demonstrations of any kind. It was a well-known fact. What was so hard about that fact that so many chose instead to gather in public places? They would gather like tiny white moths to a freakin' flame shouting out threats against the Baron's rule, anger and frustrations over Erol's treatment of the people, the Krimzon Guard's unorthodox tactics…blah blah blah.

This started the same way as all the rest. A call came over the commander's com-link with an "urgent request" that he assist with a suspicious gathering of the citizens of sector five of the city slums.

"Brilliant," Erol thought glumly as he hoisted his slender frame onto his zoomer, "just where I wanted to spend this Saturday afternoon, hunting down a band of annoying and filthy slum rats."

Erol grumbled unhappily, not because he didn't enjoy hunting down slum rats, but rather because he preferred to do it on a day when he wasn't scheduled to practice on the city's race track. "And I'd been looking forward to meeting that cute new mechanic girl they just hired." Erol strapped his mask down over his face, revved his engine, hit the gas and took off at the reckless speed he'd made a reputation out of.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The first thing Erol saw when he arrived at sector five of the slums was a gathering…of about ten people. The rest of the citizens of the slums were continuing to walk past a small group of teenagers who were singing and dancing right next to one of the Baron's talking promo-monitors. A small group of Krimzon Guards had surrounded the "unruly group" and was attempting to persuade them to break up and move along. One guard with a yellow mark of higher rank saw the commander arrive and broke away from his men in order to escort the commander over personally.

"Civil Disobedience sir, normal except the kids won't move, they won't even respond sir. It's like they are on some odd kind of auto-pilot…except…"

"Except people don't have an auto-pilot." Erol finished harshly, barely suppressing his disdain at having been called in to aid in a civil disturbance issue. "And you require my assistance why? Just shoot the blasted kids."

"But, they're just kids." The solider said it meekly, as if he thought it needed to be said, but also that he knew it was worthless to bring it up at all.

Erol raised one slender red eyebrow at the solider, a mini debate over whether or not it would be smart to shoot him instead of the kids. No, he had better not, not with the Baron still angry from last week's escape from the DWP still fresh in his mind. Erol turned back to the situation, he watched as the kids swayed unevenly, singing in voices that lacked rhythm and pitch; off-key screeches produced from underage throats that coupled with unseeing eyes that never blinked once. It was actually slightly eerie, but only slightly.

Erol had never felt a twinge of compassion in his entire life, and he didn't start now. He simply raised his hand to the small squadron, pointed at the still unaware teenagers and simply said one word, "Fire."

In the space of a gunshot there were ten less mouths to feed in Haven city.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

"_I can't get enough, I can't get enough, I can't stay on the ground, I can't get enough, I can't get enough, this is taking me now. It's taking me higher, higher, higher off the ground."_

As Erol barked orders at the small squadron to dispose of the bodies and clean up the mess, a small figure could be seen dangling its small feet over the edge of one of the slum's roofs. The face was shielded from the slight wind and the stink of the city by a red scarf, the eyes were tinted a light orange, but that was fading quickly back to the shade of light brown. The figure was slender but obviously female, and the slick white pants and orange top did little to hide the figure if anyone had bothered to look. The thing was, in Haven City, no one bothered to look.

"What's wrong lap-dog? Don't like my music?" the figure snickered slightly as she watched the Krimzon Guards slowly load the bodies onto a transport to be recorded and disposed of by the city's coroners. "I guess rebellion just isn't your tune. What about demolition?" The figure leaned down slightly, as much as she could without tilting over the edge from a seated position, "Or there's always my favorite…despair." The figure giggled, it was a bubbling sound, the kind of laugh one might make when they received a rather pleasant gift. It was defiantly not a laugh that went in the same space of air as the words demolition or despair.

By now, Erol had left, and the squadron had long since removed the bodies from the scene, and was currently pressuring the surrounding citizens to "move along or die." The figure stood up then, stretching limbs that had grown tight from being bent in the same position for hours on end. She smiled a dark smile, one that would have been at home on an alligator, but looked out-of-place on her light and slender face.

"I suppose now's time for a rest. Nothing to do now but wait, wait and see what you'll do next, dear Baron."


	2. Ch 2 The Power of Possession

**Chapter 2: The Power of Possession**

Baron Praxis paced back and forth angrily; he hated waiting. It was such a tedious activity, necessary in most situations, but tedious just the same. He spared a glance out over the city through the huge re-enforced glass windows of the palace. The citizens had begun to teeter off by now, heading towards their homes for the evening. The Baron glanced at the digital clock set into a section of his com-link, the time read 9:40pm, meaning there were only twenty more minutes until curfew.

Behind the Baron, Erol sat lazily at the audience chamber's long table. His mask was up on top of his head, and his light yellow eyes were currently closed unconcernedly. He slouched in the seat, his booted feet resting on the smooth surface of the costly table. The Baron looked over when he heard what distinctly resembled a snore come from the supposed Commander of the Krimzon Guard. This made the Baron frown angrily.

There was a swish of the doors and a slight fanfare as a lone figure slinked its way through the wide double doors of the room. The red-headed commander's eyes snapped open at the sound, and he had his gun out and ready long before the figure was ten paces inside.

"Relax Trigger-Happy." The voice was soft and whimsical, it implied lightness in the words but anyone who knew Xle knew that her words were never meant the way they came out. "It's just me, I have the medical reports from those kids your trigger-happy commander disposed of for us Baron Praxis." Xle held up the small stack of papers in one red-gloved hand, "I've already gone over them."

"What's the matter? Upset that we chose someone else's opinion Pill-Pusher?" Erol growled back at Xle, how he hated that curly haired brunette. Xle returned the comment with a disgusted smirk, she was the only other member of the Baron's crew who was capable of combining disgust and satisfaction so perfectly besides Erol.

"Silence! Both of you!" The Baron half-growled the command as he practically ripped the report from Xle's hand. He began to scan the document then, ignoring the medical terms until he reached a statement he really didn't understand. He shot Xle a look over top of the papers, Xle replied with a smirk.

"It means they believe that those kids Trigger-Happy took care of were somehow, _possessed_." Xle answered.

"How by the Precursors Light would that _even happen_?" Erol replied, he was generally interested. After all, a way to possess the citizens of Haven City? That would take care of that pesky Underground problem perfectly.

"They believe, and this is their words not mine, that whoever it was that possessed those kids did so with the help of Eco." Xle ended the statement with a non-complacent shrug.

"What kind of Eco possesses someone?" Erol sneered "Maybe your little medical staff is losing it there Pill-Pusher."

Xle glared at Erol, this time when she spoke the honey of her voice felt just the tiniest bit steely, "They believe that whoever did it combined Eco. They used some sort of combination of Red and Yellow Eco, this created Orange Eco. The Orange Eco was formed into some sort of pill that the person used to control the kids."

"So, a new kind of Eco then?" The Baron's face furled in thought, "Interesting, if we could come up with a way to re-create that, just think of the possibilities."

Xle smiled openly at the Baron, "It would _destroy_ the Underground."

Erol smiled happily too, "Not to mention take care of any problems we've encountered in the way of compliance within the DWP."

"The only problem is concerning how the citizens will take this; we can't come out and say that we know what caused the deaths of those kids. It will just add fuel to the flames of the Underground, and gain them even more support." Erol began to pace as the other two watched him silently; "We need to come up with some sort of story, a way of hiding this Orange Eco until we are able to use it."

"I have an idea," Xle's voice had returned to its usual sickeningly sweet tone. The others looked up, waiting for those cold lips to speak, "If we are worried about the Underground gaining support for Trigger-Happy's orders, then all we need to do is spin it around right? Here's how we'll do it…."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"You aren't going to like this sir." Tess handed the rumpled newspaper into Torn's hands reluctantly. "In fact, you aren't going to like this _at all._"

Torn accepted the paper in the same solemn manner that he accepted most things, his fingers smoothed out the wrinkles as best as he could in order to read the headlines. He went cold realizing what the bold letters stated clearly at the top.

"_**Ten Teenagers Shot in City Slums"**_

_The deaths of ten young Underground agents is regrettably announced. The ten were believed to have been brainwashed into committing acts of deadly defiance against Baron Praxis. After extreme amounts of both physical and mental attempts at peaceful dissolution, the Krimzon Guards and Commander Erol were forced to shoot the young agents out of self-defense._

Torn sighed, a mixture of anger and guilt whirling inside his throat. They were regrettably shot out of self-defense? A bigger lie hadn't been told since they had announced that the disappearances in Sector four of the slums was due to a recent surge in Metal Head activity. It was a load of bullshit, and everyone would know it.

"Precursors Xle, why do you even bother to try?" Torn grumbled under his breath, crumpled the newspaper into a ball and threw it across the room. He looked up when he heard an angry "Hey!" come from the dark spot where the paper had gone. The corners of Torn's mouth turned down as he realized that that voice could only belong to one person, or rather one _thing._

"What the Hell do you want, you reject squirrel?"

"Shut-up Dax." Jak cut off what would surely have been a long and headache inducing rant from his best friend as he strode into the light. "What's this I hear about the Underground brain-washing its fighters?" Jak frowned amusedly, as Torn scowled back at him. "I didn't know we even had that kind of technology in this shit-hole."

"We don't." Torn relied without any sort of emotion in either his face or his voice. "Not that it would matter, it wasn't the Baron who typed up that article, it was his medical advisor, Xle Frent."

Dax jumped up onto Jak's shoulder with a frown, "Who the Hell is Xle Frent?"

Torn growled. "Weren't you listening you pee-brained rodent? She's the Baron's medical advisor, _head medical adviser_ actually, and she's an utterly sadistic bitch."

"But why would she say those kids were brainwashed? No one would believe that, that's not even possible!" Jak crossed his arms, confusion dancing in his eyes, "And I wonder, why did I never meet her during my…er…stay...at the palace?"

"Because she hates Erol's guts and Erol tends to be the one in charge of operating the DWP." Torn replied sternly, "More than likely she didn't want to get her hands dirty, or even let that nose of hers anywhere near Erol's stink."

"So what are you gonna do tattoo-face?" Daxter smirked and crossed his tiny arms, "She's bad-mouthing the Underground, it won't look good."

Torn scowled, "No shit fur-ball." He turned to look at Jak, concern a tiny twinkle at the edge of his eyes. "You should be careful Jak, if Xle is in on this she might find a way to use it on people in the city, she might even send Erol out looking for you, the only almost successful DWP they've got. Jut watch your back alright?"


	3. Ch 3 Such A Relief to Die

**Hello! So how do you like my story so far? I like this one the best so far. :D And don't you worry, you'll get to see more Jak and Daxter soon. Not to mention the fact that I'm sure you are missing Erol, although sadly he doesn't make an appearance in this chapter. **

**The reason that I wrote this little intro thingy is to tell you how to pronounce my OCs. I don't normally put OC's into my fanfictions so this isn't something I normally do. Anyway, here you go. **

**Xle: pronounced Zel**

**Jun: pronounced like June**

**Well, enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 3:**** Such A Relief to Die**

Xle tapped one long, slender finger against one of the sleek glass vials in front of her. Her light eyes were closed slightly behind a pair of protective goggles as she thought. Her overly-curly, slightly-frizzy brown hair had been pulled back from her face into a short ponytail at the base of her neck.

"_It's Orange Eco, they were somehow able to combine Red and Yellow Eco. How they were able to do it? I have no idea. But why? I believe the affects make that fairly obvious." _

"So _how_ then for Precursors sake?" Xle opened her eyes, gazing longingly at the ceiling, as if waiting for it to respond back. Vin had reassured her earlier that there was no way of knowing how the Ecos had been combined from the bodies of the ten murdered kids. The only reason they even knew that it was Red and Yellow Eco was because of the fact that their bodies still contained traces of both Ecos running in their bloodstreams.

"_They were running on strains of both. The combination caused their systems to overload and shutdown. It turned them, essentially, into little more than puppets without strings. And that's not even the worst part…" Vin had trailed off then, his light eyes going wild behind the screens of his goggles. He had paused uncertainly, eyes and facial expression implying how he was trying desperately to find the right words. _

"_Well?" Xle had snapped at him, causing Vin to jump even higher then he usually did in her company, "Spit it out Vin or I'll force it out of you!" She had let her fingers drop to the holster that rode the space of her upper right thigh._

_Vin's eyes had flashed in fear then, and he had blabbered out the rest in a nervous rush. "The pain!" he screeched, "They must have f-felt incred-incredible pain during the c-combination of the Ecos." He had indicated one of the bodies, where there were obvious bruises and welts adorning the otherwise pristine flesh (excluding a single bullet wound of course.) "These are self-inflicted. It…must have been…" Vin had dropped his gaze to the floor sadly, "such…such a relief, to d-die." _

Xle sat up straight, her fingers still tapping the glass vial distractedly.

"Yes, Vin, excruciating pain," she muttered, "But how do I _do_ it? How do I inflict such pain on our enemies?"

Xle lowered her lids, scrunching her face into a pout. One would think she was merely upset over not getting the right price she wanted on a zoomer. She certainly looked innocent enough, but anyone who knew Xle knew better.

She was like cough syrup. Her body, her voice, her mannerisms, everything physical about her implied the sweetness one might expect from cherry-flavored medicine. But her insides were bitter. She played with people. She promised relief, but only for a price, one you might not be willing to pay.

Xle spared a bored glance at the vial of Red Eco to her left. She then shifted to the vial of Yellow on her right. It should have been so simple. Why wasn't it simple? Why couldn't she inflict the same pain as whomever it was that had gotten to those kids had been able to do?

"Uggghh! I wish that Trigger-Happy fool hadn't killed them!" Xle snarled in frustration. "Erol, you are really such a waste of the Baron's time. But don't you worry, don't you worry one little bit." Xle smirked with dark sugary glee, "Just as soon as I figure out how to create and harness Orange Eco, I'll send you packing so fast you'll be begging to lick my shoes." Xle giggled, her laugh like a young girl's, "That is, if you don't go crying back to your Ex-Commander, Torn, and his rag-tag pack of Underground slum-mutts."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"_I can't get enough, I can't get enough, I can't stay on the ground, I can't get enough, I can't get enough, this is taking me now. It's taking me higher, higher, higher off the ground." _

The figure who had watched Erol shoot the ten kids stretched her arms up. What a lovely nap she had had, she hadn't slept that well in ages. It was so relaxing to know that things were working out so utterly perfectly; it made it so much easier to sleep.

"_I do this just for the kicks, just for the thrill. I got this high without taking a pill." _

The figure sung as she peeled off her clothes and stepped into the shower partition of her small apartment. It was little more than a box, a bed was cramped into one corner and the shower was a small section across the room. She hadn't bothered with a kitchen, there were plenty of places to find cheap food in Haven City, and she would rather use the room for clothes.

"_This move has got me way over the sun. I'm dancing like I am the only one."_

The figure did a slight twist under the water, and then she stepped out quickly, turning off the water as she did. She knew better then to indulge in water, the longer the shower and the less she would have had to drink for the rest of the day. But things had been better since the water had suddenly been turned back on about a week or so ago.

The figure began drying herself off with an orange towel as she walked over to the kitchen turned closet partition of her apartment. She dropped the towel to the floor and swung out her short blonde hair. She grabbed a pair of white pants from one cabinet and a short sleeve dark green tunic from another. Dressed, she swung out her hair again, drying it with another towel.

"_I can't get enough, I can't get enough, I can't stay on the ground, I can't get enough, I can't get enough, this is taking me now. It's taking me higher, higher, higher off the ground." _

The figure froze, tension turning her spinal column to ice. "I don't remember giving you permission to sing my song," the figure turned slowly to glare at the second figure that had just snuck into the room and was leaning lazily against the door, "what was your name again minion?" She said it as she turned back towards the closet where a small mirror allowed her to comb her short blonde hair.

"Jun." The figure responded without emotion, pure compliance evident in all parts of her except her face and her right hand. Jun's face was scrunched up in disgust, and her right hand was scratching at her left wrist fiercely, as if she was hoping to use her nails to split her own wrists. The figure noticed Jun's scratching in the mirror.

"Stop that scratching Jun. You look crazy." The figure purred as she spread paint over her lips, turning them into a lush red, "Besides I have a reason for keeping you alive. You still have work to do." She kissed at her reflection and smirked at Jun in the mirror, "You'd like that, wouldn't you Jun?"

"I would." Jun replied, eyes opening in a mixture of fear and anger even though no traces of those emotions could be heard in her voice.

"Excellent." The figure finished wrapping her red scarf around her neck and headed towards Jun. She held her by the shoulders and gave her a cheery smile, "Shall we go then?"

"As you wish."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0 **

Jak leaned up against the bar at Krew's Hip Hog Heaven Saloon and listened as Daxter tried his best to impress Tess with a story of how he had "defeated" an ever-increasing number of Metal Heads "singlehandedly." Jak laughed as Daxter jumped around, embellishing his story with arm movements and colorful glances.

"Wow Daxter, you're _so_ brave." Tess sighed romantically as Daxter finished his story.

"Yeah, I know, scratch me there." Daxter replied, indicating a spot on his back that Tess began to scratch admiringly.

"That's quite a story there Golden-Boy."

Jak looked up to see Sig smirking at Daxter's story. "What's the problem Sig? Don't think little Dax could handle that many Metal Heads?"

Sig returned the smirk with one of his own, "Not at all Cherry, just saying that I'd be even more impressed if you'd do me the favor of taking out some Metal Heads in Haven Forest, they have this cloaking device so they're hard to spot. But I think some expert Metal Head slayers such as yourselves should be just _fine_."

There was a slight _swish_ and the door to the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon slid open and closed. The group turned to see a medium height, medium build teenage girl standing there. Her eyes were hidden behind dark glasses, and her right hand was scratching un-relentlessly at her left wrist.

"Welcome to the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon miss, can I get you anything?" Tess said it with a smile as the girl continued to stand in front of the door without any sign of life besides the continued scratching.

The girl didn't look up, she just shook her head and muttered in a stale voice, "Not why I'm here."

"Oh…umm…ok?" Tess replied giving Sig a quizzical look of _What do I do?_

"My name is Jun. I'm looking for a person named Jak."

"That's me." Jak pulled away from the bar and took a few steps closer to Jun, not sure whether or not he should get too close. "What do ya want?"

Jun looked up from her feet for the first time after entering. "I need to talk to you…" she turned and indicated the door, "outside, in private."

"Don't do it Jak! That chick's creepy." Daxter attempted to whisper it at Jak, but Daxter's idea of a whisper happened at average volume, meaning it wasn't a whisper at all. But Jun didn't indicate that she had heard a word, she didn't do anything except point at the door, waiting patiently for Jak to follow her outside.

"I'll be fine; she's just a kid after all." Jak reassured his best friend with a smile; he then closed the distance between himself and Jun. He followed her outside without any sound but the innocent _swish_ of the door.


	4. Ch 4 In Her Eyes

**Hey, there is a little implied rape in this one. But you're big you can handle it. Also don't worry about Rok (pronounced Rook) he isn't crucial to the story. I also apologize on behalf of poor Rok, he just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time...  
**

**Also. in case you didn;t know the song that the figure keeps singing is "Higher" from Taio Cruz. :D**

**Enjoy. Please R&R!  
**

**Ch 4: ****In Her Eyes**

The only sound that anyone could hear to know that Erol had just finished with a particularly successful DWP session was the light-hearted whistle that came from between his slender lips. Erol complemented the tune with a light march through the corridors of the prison, face practically bursting with signs of pure glee.

"I feel like celebrating!" Erol shouted it aloud; he heard the scrapping of prisoners on all sides of him, a sure sign that his glee would be even more intoxicating. Xle wasn't the only sadistic member of the Baron's inner circle, albeit not in the same way.

Erol smirked as he rounded a corner, he could already see the look on prisoner 2367's face, taste the young man's tongue in his mouth. The very thought was more alluring then it should have been, just as all anticipation usually is.

Erol began whistling again, practically jumping out of his suit already. He'd been rather bored since Jak had escaped over a week ago. It was getting so none of his subjects were half as much fun as the older teen had been. They all died so very easily, resisting the Dark Eco up until the very moment that they stopped screaming. Jak had been different, for one thing he hadn't screamed for the majority of the treatments, though Erol was sure he had probably wanted to with all his might.

"Damaged vocal chords my ass," Erol muttered as he approached prisoner 2367's cell. "Far as I've heard that Eco Freak seems to be talking real well, getting all chummy with that traitor Torn no less."

Erol slid open the door to 2367's cell with a swipe of his id card and a smirk. The boy, well he wasn't really a boy, more a young man, was curled up into a ball against the far wall. He looked up fearfully when he saw Erol, his eyes widening and his mouth going slack out of knowledge of what was coming.

Erol strode across the small space of the cell, the door slamming shut behind him as he unclasped his armor and made to undo his jumpsuit.

"Please…" It was a small cry, barely even audible. If Erol hadn't been listening for it, then he surely would have missed it. But Erol was always listening, always waiting to hear his victims cries. "Don't…"

Erol leaned in real close to the young man, one hand slowly unzipping his brightly colored suit, revealing the Krimzon Guard tattoos on his chest, the other cupping the man's slender chin. He ran one long finger along the man's jaw, rubbing upwards to fiddle with his lips, which were dry and cracked from lack of water and proper care. "Don't you worry now; it'll only hurt for a moment."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"Why the Hell should I trust you?" Jak crossed his arms uncertainly, "Like Dax said, you're creepy."

"I'm not creepy." Jun replied blankly, her eyes boring holes into Jak's own dark blue ones. Jak felt even more unsettled by that, "I am trying to warn you Jak. For your own good, you should take heed of my words." Jun leaned in; she was almost as tall as the rather short spiky-haired blonde. "I want to protect you."

"Is that right?" Jak leaned away as Jun leaned in. "You know what might make me believe you? If you showed any sign of emotion, or maybe if you were to…oh I don't know, take off those glasses so I could see your eyes?"

"As you wish." Jun's voice didn't change at all, but she reached up and used one slender hand to remove the dark glasses from her eyes. Jak gasped.

"What in the name of?" Jak stepped back, unable to wrap his mind around the terrifying image of Jun's eyes.

Jun's eyes were dead, featureless, and dark orange.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The figure sat on a zoomer parked just down the street from the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. The face was shielded from the slight wind and the stink of the city by a red scarf, the eyes were tinted a light orange. The figure was slender but obviously female, and the slick white pants and dark green top did more to hide the figure than the last outfit had, but the figure was still obvious if anyone had bothered to look. The thing was, just like before, in Haven City, no one bothered to look.

"_Now I know how to get down on the floor, experience the moves you can't ignore. But something about this beat has got me hooked, come over here and take a closer look."_

The figure smirked as she watched Jak's reaction to Jun's eyes. He seemed to be taking it a lot better than she had though he would have, he hadn't passed out or anything. She watched as Jak motioned for Jun to replace her glasses, his eyes bugging a bit in his head. But he was quickly regaining his composure, just like the hero she knew he was. She giggled, this laugh was light and airy, there was no darkness hiding in this one. It was honest and open; she had been right about Jak. He was perfect. Her plan was perfect. And very soon all of Haven City, would be perfect.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Erol licked his lips happily. There was nothing more satisfying then a perfect kiss. He wasn't sure why or how, but this man had mastered that perfectly. Erol gave the man a satisfied smile.

"Thanks ever so much for coming to my celebratory party slum-rat." Erol practically purred, cupping the man's chin again forcing his gaze to meet his own. "I feel like such a horrible host though, you know my name, but I don't know yours." Erol licked the man playfully on the cheek. The man squirmed, afraid of being that close to Erol again, at least not so soon. "Tell me? Better yet, whisper it."

Erol leaned in close, turning his head so that his right ear was a mere breath's distance from the man's lips. "I'm waiting."

"…Rok…"

"Beautiful, thanks ever so much," Erol pulled away and began to get dressed, "Rest up Rok, you have a long day ahead of you."

With little more than a sideways look of superiority over his left shoulder, Erol was gone and Rok had dissolved into tears.


	5. Ch 5 Price

**Did you enjoy that last chapter? Bet you hate the mystery figure right? Don't worry we'll learn her identity soon. :D**

**PLEASE R&R! I want to know how you like it, or if you hate it. I want to know so I can try and improve.**

**Ok, enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 5: Price**

Baron Praxis was pacing the transparent floor of the Palace's audience chamber, again.

"What in the name of the Precursors above is taking those idiots so long?" He shouted it angrily, and slammed his anvil-like fist down onto the table, splintering the wood slightly. The Baron looked down at the fracture in the table disappointingly; Ashelin would be pissed to know he'd destroyed her gift.

There was the metallic _swish_ of the giant double doors, a slight fanfare, and the Baron glanced up to see Erol come striding into the vast room. Erol's red hair was exposed and slightly disheveled, and he held his bulbous-red-eyed driving mask in his hands. He was whistling happily, and there was a very distinct and uncomforting spring in his step. The Baron scowled in open disgust, there was only one reason why Erol would be walking with such a springy step, and it wasn't a pleasant one. Erol twirled his mask by its band distractedly as he closed the distance between himself and the Baron. His light yellow eyes were practically singing.

"Had a successful treatment today Commander?" The Baron crossed his large and muscular arms, barley hiding his discontent, "Shame that it often…_distracts_ you from your other duties, such as arriving on time for our meetings."

"Oh Baron Praxis sir, are we really going to start the meeting off on such a negative note?" Erol replied, voice practically sick with verbal sponginess. Erol paused in his speech long enough to take a quick look around the room, content, he sent the Baron a degrading glance over his left shoulder, a feat in of itself considering the major height difference. "Besides, _sir_," he said sir as if it were an insult, causing the Baron to step forward menacingly, "I'm not the only one who appears to have misread the time. Where exactly is that nuisance of a nurse anyhow?"

"Working." Baron Praxis said it with ill-veiled malice, "Unlike certain others in my employ, she is successful at her job rather than in…_distractions_." The Baron punctuated this statement with a look, which Erol received blankly. He knew perfectly well what the Baron was implying, he was angry about Erol's _special_ interactions with the prisoners.

"Some prisoners require more…_care_ than others." Erol sneered openly as he replaced his mask on top of his head, "I'm only working acquiescence into the DWP anywhere I can."

"Wow, acquiescence…that's a mighty big word for such a small man." There was the familiar metallic _swish_ and the small fanfare and suddenly Xle was standing there, light eyes dancing with glee and voice just as honeyed as ever. "Where'd you learn that word Commander? Did one of your DWP failures teach it to you? Or is it true that you actually do know how to read? Or…"

"Xle!" The Baron cutoff Xle's degrading stream with a yell, "I wouldn't be so quick to insult the Commander here, he beat you." The Baron frowned in disappointment, "so maybe you ought to explain to me why you're so late instead of working the Commander's nerves."

Erol sneered superiorly at Xle, who had flushed to match the color of her Krimzon Guard colored jacket. "Well well, the golden girl just had her face slapped, what a glorious turn of events." Xle's head snapped in Erol's direction. Erol pretended to be cleaning the dirt under his nails while Xle shot him a death-glare in response to his comment.

"Xle, I'm waiting." Baron Praxis re-crossed his arms, disappointment and boredom mixing in the movement.

Xle's gaze turned down and her voice dropped to a barely audible mumble, "There've….been…complications."

"The word is _failures_ Xle, _failures_." Erol flashed Xle a toothy grin, things were looking better and better, for him at least. Xle did her best to ignore the comment, keeping her attention focused on the Baron who was currently glaring at her.

"You promised me you'd have the Orange Eco by today. So you don't have it yet then?" Baron Praxis's eyes narrowed in anger, "What sort of complications are you experiencing?"

"The Ecos, they won't…that is…the combinations don't match those we found in the teenagers." Xle looked utterly putout but Erol looked practically giddy.

"Is there anything I can do to help Xle?" Erol placed his hands on his hips and leaned forward, a bit of a perilous smirk on his lips. His eyes were dancing with mirth and he could feel the coldness coming from Xle's eyes as she shifted to look at him. Her eyes bored back into his, seeking to snuff out their light, but Erol was in too good of a mood to be so easily fazed. Xle finally dropped the contact and turned back to Baron Praxis.

"I don't know what to do to change the outcome," Xle's voice still had its usual syrupy quality, only it felt a little deflated, as if the direness of her situation was slowly hardening her words. "The only way I'd be able to fully test the merging of the Ecos would be if I was to be allowed….test subjects." Xle's eyes snapped back up, a bit of fiery rekindling starting to spark the edges of her light eyes like lightning on an open sky, a dangerous look for someone like her to have.

"Where would you acquire these test subjects Xle? You've already cost me more then I believe this experiment of yours is worth, and it's only been four days!" Baron Praxis enforced his point with another slam of his thick fist onto the decorative, if somewhat now ruined, audience chamber table.

"I know where to acquire my subjects from, and it won't cost you a cent, not even time from the Krimzon Guard." Xle had begun to sparkle again, now that her dark and twisted mind was working full swing. She had even managed to return her voice to its liquid sweetness. Erol frowned as Xle superiorly straightened her goggles that were twisted into her frizzy and curly brown hair.

"_What is she planning?"_ he thought angrily, _"And why does she keep smirking over at me?"_

"The subjects could come right from our dungeons here, more specifically, from the subjects of the DWP." Xle smirked openly at Erol who stepped forward in fury, hands reaching for his holsters, fear of the Baron's reaction the only reason he hadn't drawn to shoot.

"If I'm correct, the subjects of the DWP are already experiencing an influx of Dark Eco, so if I were to add the other two Ecos into their systems, they'd be more likely to survive the transference." Xle smirked openly now, she ignored Erol who looked as if he was practically ready to strangle her thin neck. The Baron was listening intently, sparing a glance at the angry Commander when he'd heard Xle's idea about the subjects.

"Not only that," Xle continued, "but they would also be more likely to combine correctly, I have a suspicion that whoever combined the Ecos in the teenagers had some other way of doing so, one I don't possess. The Dark Eco would make an excellent substitute; at least it's worth a shot, _my lord Baron_."

"You filthy little…!" Erol was currently clenching and unclenching and then re-clenching his fingers, he had worked them so hard that they were leaving indentations in his leather gloves. "There is _NO WAY_ I am letting you and your so called experimentations anywhere near my Dark Warrior Program, you can just find your own test subjects! There's plenty of other slum-rats in the crappy cracks of this city, you don't have to come prancing in and steal mine!"

Erol whipped his head around from Xle's shining face and turned his argument towards the Baron. "If she's allowed to do this then she'll steal the _best ones_! She'll take the ones that are the furthest along in the program, it will hinder _my_ progress!"

"Nonsense Commander, Xle knows better than to hinder any other aspect of our work." The Baron smiled over at Xle who beamed right back. Erol silently seethed murderously in the corner, body tense with his stress and frustration.

"Of course _dear Baron_," Xle pronounced "dear Baron" as if it was the honey she spread on her toast every morning, lightly spreading the words with her tongue then letting them slide out, "I would _never_ want to hurt the progress of the Dark Warrior Program that our dear Commander is so very fond of working, it would be counterproductive." Xle smiled at the Baron as innocently as if she were asking for a new dress to where to a Sunday dinner at her grandparents' house.

"How many subjects will you require?" Baron Praxis went over to a large desk where a pile of papers and his seal were kept, "I'll have to write you official permission."

"Twenty-four." Xle spared a glee-filled glance over at Erol who had sat down to avoid doing anything regrettable.

"_That's right Erol, just keep seething like that. I already told you, after I'm done with this there will be no place for you, just like there was no place for Torn. You're done_…" Xle thought it with a mixture of desire and dark mirth. Her eyes were dancing with almost wolfish intent, as if she could already taste victory; already see Erol leaving through the great iron door of the Palace, never to return.

Erol jumped up at the mention of how many subjects Xle required. "TWENTY-FOUR?" Erol strode over so he was mere inches from Xle, his fingers dancing around her throat, implying what he actually wanted to do in the way they were clenching and unclenching. He whispered the last part, a whisper that held more malice and ill intent then his shouts ever could, "Why the _Hell_ do you need twenty-four of my subjects you neophyte nurse?"

"Twenty-four it is." The Baron scratched out the rest of the document and signed it before adding his seal. Erol made a mix between a guttural wail and a strangled outcry before turning on his heal and leaving the audience chamber.


	6. Ch 6 Inconvenience

**Ah, yes, sorry it has been awhile. I've been busy. But, I got this chapter up, and I will have another one for you at the most by next week. We are nearing the end after all. And I'm sure you're all excited to find out what Malia's big plan is, (if you haven't figured it out already.) :)**

**PLEASE READ AND RESPOND! I really want to know what you think.  
**

**Ch. 6 ****Inconvenience**

"That bitch! That low, scheming, self-absorbed, snake!" Erol kicked the nearest wall in anger. His steel-tipped racing boot protected him from damage, but even if it hadn't he was in too much of a rage to have felt any pain. "Stealing from _me_! I'll rip that smug smirk right off of her precursors-damned face!" Erol continued down the length of the palace hall that led to his chambers. Body physically vibrating with uncontrolled fury; face almost the same reddish tint as his hair as embarrassment and anger warred inside of his chest. He felt humiliated. It was too much to think that the Baron had chosen to give that neurotic nitwit _his_ subjects against his wishes. Why the very thought made him want to vomit.

Erol violently burst into his room. He slammed his possessions around in his swelling frustration. He threw his chairs at the wall, knocked every paper and writing device off his desk, and finished by kicking his desk over, shattering the glass top and denting the brass frame. Erol took a moment to breathe after he'd completely annihilated all sense of order in his room. One shaky hand undid his mask while the other ran its way through his spiky red hair.

"That _bitch_. What could she be up to?"

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Jak leaned against the cold steel wall of the alleyway. Jun had told him to meet her here in two hours; it had already been nearly three. Jak was beginning to think that something had happened to the creepy-eyed teen. Jak sighed and spared a glance at the clock set into a section of his wrist bracers.

"12:30." Jak frowned at his wrist as he realized that he was supposed to meet Torn in half an hour, maybe he'd better just leave. Jak smirked, not that it'd take him thirty-minutes to make it to Torn's hideout, but _still_.

"Oh good! You came."

Jak started and whipped around at the sound of an excited female voice to see a slender silhouette hiding just behind the cover of darkness made by the overhang of the lopsided buildings that made up the slums of Haven City. Jak only took a second to regain his composure, and he easily slid back into his usual relaxed and "I-don't-give-a-flying-fuck" expression.

"I'm so glad that you came, I was worried that you wouldn't…."

"Yeah, ok, can we make this fast? I have somewhere to be." Jak cutoff the figure with an irritated wave of his hand and a slight sneer, "You were late, so I suggest you hurry up and tell me whatever it is you wanted to tell me earlier Jun."

The figure took a cautious step forward, "How can you be sure that I'm Jun?"

"Who else could you be?" Jak frowned in increasing irritation. What was with this chick anyway? Earlier it had been as if Jun didn't have an ounce of emotion running in a single speck of her, now she seemed to be overflowing with every emotion at once. Jak couldn't figure her out at all.

"An enemy." Jun stepped forward into the small flicks of light that had managed to filter their way down through the endless smog and cramped streets that made up the city. Her face was uncovered and there were stress lines and exhaustion circles under her eyes. She was wringing her hands together distractedly, and her eyes, now a shockingly deep green, were flicking in complete disorder and without any sense of purpose. Jak's eyes opened a bit as he realized that this Jun was defiantly not the same composed and stale one that he had encountered not even three hours ago. This Jun was not only very much aware and emotionally distraught, but she was also, well, for lack of a better word, _more alive_.

"Jun?" Jak said hesitantly, leaning in close to the young teen as she continued to flick and fidget like a cornered squirrel, seemingly unaware that she was acting odd or non-cohesive. "Jun, what happened? What's wrong?" Jak felt, in spite of his distrust and confusion, the unrelenting need to defend Jun. It was the hero complex of his; he had this unexplainable need to help people in need, even when he knew it was better not to interfere. This was one of those times.

Jun let out a squeak that was a mixture between fear and sadness, and she suddenly jumped on Jak, wrapping her slender arms around his neck and burying her face into his chest. Jak froze. The young teen still clutching to him, Jak fought the urge to shove her off him. He hated when people touched him. The only ones he allowed to do that were Daxter and Keira, and only because they had known him ever since he was old enough to know what exactly a friend was. Jun was defiantly not in the category by any stretch, Jak wasn't even a hundred percent the girl was even human. Now of course she was acting more human than ninety percent of the citizens of "glorious Haven City." Maybe the girl was just insane.

"Umm, Jun…I know you're…upset. But I'm going to need you to let go now." Jak felt bad telling the sobbing teen to let go of his neck, but it had to be done. Jun sniffed hard, and let go with an understanding nod.

"I…kn-know…we should…_sniff_…hurry up and…t-talk. I don't…_sniff_…have m-much time." Jun wiped her face on her trailing dingy-brown sleeves. "_She'll_ be calling me soon. I can't resist when _she_ calls. No matter how hard I try."

"Who's she?" Jak leaned against the closest steel wall, curiosity over-riding his brain that was telling him Torn was going to fry his ass if he didn't get back to the hideout soon. _"Ah, let him steam. It'll do that old sore-ass some good."_

"Her name's Malia. She's a monster! An evil and twisted snake, and she killed my sisters and my friends!" Jun began to sob again, her body rocking like an accompaniment to her tears.

"Malia? Why's she a monster Jun? What did she do to them?" Jak leaned forward, hands slightly outstretched. He wanted to stop Jun's tears, wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how.

"The same thing she did to ME!" Jun looked up; anger pulsating in-between the still falling tears. "She stole away their will!"

Jak frowned, unsure whether or not he truly believed Jun. After all, he'd only known the girl for what, maybe three and a half hours now at the most? And in that time he'd only spoken to her twice. Moreover, of those two times, she'd acted like two completely different people. So who was the real Jun? Was she the stale and emotionally stunted girl he'd met earlier at the Saloon, who had dead eyes and a constant need to scratch her wrist? Or this, a blubbering and obviously stressed young girl who was basically telling him that there was some sort of psychotic murderess roaming the streets of Haven City searching for willing teenagers to attack? However, no matter how crazy Jun appeared to be, it was entirely possible that some psychotic murderess _was_ roaming the streets; it _was_ Haven City after all.

"How do you know she stole your will? That's impossible. You must be confused." Jak attempted to give Jun a reassuring smile, "Why don't I take you home ok Jun?"

Jun looked hurt and angry. "You don't believe me!"

"I do believe you Jun, it's just, I think you may be letting the fact that you're a little emotionally compromised mess with your head…"

"I'm perfectly _fine_." Jun punctuated this statement with a firm stomp of one ragged boot. Jak's frowned deepened into a bit of an annoyed smirk, if this girl was anything, fine was not it.

Jun suddenly dropped the tears and the anger, suddenly she was small and innocent looking, like a tiny doll that couldn't decipher whether to be still and silent, or playful and loud. Jak was at a loss. Jun's emotional instability had him wondering whether meeting up with her alone had been such a good idea or not. Jun backed away from Jak until she was half-hidden by the shadow of the overhang. As she went, he watched as her eyes began to die, losing the vibrant glow that they had held not a moment ago. Her face changed too. The dark circles and stress lines, sure signs of her humanity, began to fade away, replaced by an eerie and unnaturally calm expression. She seemed to be shifting back to the Jun from earlier, a Jun that was wrong somehow.

"I only have a few minutes left Jak," Jun's voice moved closer and closer to a monotone, and her lips were struggling to form the words. Her right hand moved upwards towards her left wrist, and her fingers were already scratching at the air as if in preparation. "_She's_ calling me. I can't resist when _she_ calls, no matter how hard I try."

"What does she want?"

"She calls it reform, but it's not. Please, you have to stop her, before it's too late." Jun finished receding underneath the overhang, and even her silhouette disappeared into the blackness. All Jak could hear was her voice as she struggled to answer as many of his questions as she could before the strain to stay would become too much.

"How did she do this to you Jun?"

"A pill, it was just supposed to make us feel better, we were sick….it was only supposed to make us feel better…take the pain away."

"But it didn't, did it Jun?"

"No."

Jak knew that he had more questions to ask the now empty Jun, but it was too late, she was gone.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"_I feel like I can touch the sky, higher, higher off the ground."_

Malia had very rarely felt anger in her life. It wasn't that she was unable to, or that things didn't frustrate her, it's just that she preferred to work and work until everything went her way, eliminating the need for anger. However, when Jun walked through her door, looking frightened and guilty, and when Malia asked her, and when she replied, Malia became, for the first time, angry. The anger was abrupt and soon faded into disappointment. It was such a waste really, and she had no one, not even Jun, to blame. It was her own fault for not being more careful.

Malia brushed a bit of blonde hair behind her ear, her light eyes furrowing in thought. So now she needed to re-think her plan. No, not re-think, re-evaluate, her plan was perfect. She was perfect. She had just encountered a twist she had not anticipated, the plan was still capable of success, she just needed someone else. Jak was no longer perfect. Malia had hoped the Dark Warrior part of Jak would have been enough to prevent him from turning against her, but Jun couldn't lie when the orange tinted her eyes. So, Jak was a lost cause, a huge inconvenience.

It never crossed Malia's mind to wonder how Jun knew that Jak wasn't the one. It never even occurred to her to ask where Jun had been, and why she'd been there. And all the while that Malia was thinking, I'm sorry, re-evaluating, Jun was thinking and scheming too.

Suddenly Malia remembered something. Erol had ordered her victims to be shot, and the coroners had surely found out by now about the Orange Eco. Malia's red lips began to perk up, how impractical of her to have wasted time on anger and disappointment. She'd had a better partner then Jak all along.


End file.
